Examinations Resource for Teachers and Assessors

AM20530 - VTCT Level 2 Certificate in Hairdressing and Beauty Therapy (VRQ)

Command Verbs

Examinations Resource for Teachers and AssessorsUnderstanding verbs used in Pass/Merit/Distinction grade descriptors

© VTCT Assessment Department 2018 2


A new and updated ‘Resource for Teachers and Assessors’ document This resource has been revised in order to incorporate the command verbs used within the new style external examination.

The Resource for Teachers and Assessors document has been created as a tool to help teachers and assessors prepare their learners for the external examination. It will help to differentiate between the requirements of the command verbs in the short response questions. It can also be used for the command verbs in the Pass, Merit and Distinction grade descriptors of the internal assignment brief.

Command Verb Explanation of term Examples - A brush Example of learner’s work

Analyse Produce a supported argument or conclusion on a subject by breaking the subject into suitable parts, based on the question.

Investigate the main ideas and support with evidence before coming to a reasoned comment or conclusion.

Analyse which is more useful: a brush or a comb.

I think that a brush is better for my hair than a comb. This is because I have thick hair that takes a lot of effort to style and the comb often gets stuck, whereas the wider-set bristles of the brush can be pulled through my hair and smooth it with less effort. A brush is, therefore more useful for me.

For my brother, who has short, thin hair, a comb is better. It is particularly useful for him to use to achieve a straight parting. Consequently, I would say that a comb is more useful to my brother.

Therefore, both items can be very useful. In conclusion, I would say that a brush is slightly more useful, as it could be used by both my brother and I, whereas I could not use a comb.

Analyse the results of your research.

“The spa have chosen not to promote their products or services on their social media accounts. I am not sure why this is but it doesn’t make sense as social media is an excellent way of promoting treatments and services as it is so widely used by people of all ages.

I found out that the company have a YouTube channel called ‘Spa Hotel’ with six videos. One video has Ariel views of the hotel and spa, another has information about the staff and there is one video of the spa itself. The other videos are of the small cottages located in the grounds of the spa and the rooms within the hotel.

Reflecting on this task has made me realise that the company spends more time and money marketing the hotel instead of the spa. This must be because more money is generated from people staying at the hotel and eating at their restaurant then the spa itself.”




Appraise (sometimes assess or critique)

Decide the quality, performance, value or utility of something.

Assess the value of a hairbrush in a salon environment.

A hairbrush is a very useful tool in the salon environment. There are many types of brush to choose from, each having its own specific use.

It would be difficult to create many types of hairstyle without using a brush, making it an invaluable tool for the hairstylist.

Carry out Undertake an activity.

(An important detail that should be noted here is that this needs to be EVIDENCED as well as simply being undertaken.

For example, learners may also be asked to present their research, so should always keep a record.)

An example of when this will be needed could be in response to tasks like the following:

“You will then plan and carry out research into how that business markets their products and services. This can be completed by using primary or secondary research such as questionnaires, interview records or the use of the internet. You must provide evidence that you have conducted your research which may be presented in a format of your choice.”

Collate Collect and combine research information, ideas or data.




Compare (sometimes compare and contrast)

State the similarities and differences between two things. Discuss the relevance or consequences of these similarities and/or differences, and comment on which is preferable.

Compare and contrast two different types of hairbrush.

I have two different hair brushes. The first brush has a wooden-handle and a soft-head of bristles. The other brush I could use has a plastic handle with short, firm bristles. Both are good quality hair brushes. Their handles are smooth and lightweight. Both are fit for purpose and would be used when blow-drying hair. The brushes are similarly priced. The wooden brush cost £3.50 and the other cost £4.

The main difference between the brushes is the head of bristles. The short, firm bristles are made of nylon and have a scratchy feel to them when I brush my hair. The soft bristles do not go easily through my thick hair so I have to allow more time and work harder to brush my hair.

Compare the feasibility of your two choices before identifying your final choice.

“Pop up make-up stall - I think that there would be a demand for this service as many people from the area and inside of Liverpool like getting their make-up done. Many young girls (teens) involve themselves in make-up which bring more customers and more money. The prices are reasonable and compatible for other people which will draw them more towards my business as it’s high-quality makeup, a reasonable price, and they are able to book in advance.

Make-up on a peel off sheet - I think that there would be a demand in this service however a lower demand than a make-up stall. With this new product it will help improve people’s own make-up skills and will reduce time leaving them time for other things. One company have already made a lip transfer; however, they don’t have an eyeshadow product which makes this a gap in the market.

Having compared both business ideas, I think the most feasible is a pop up make-up stall, as it will be in high demand and many people will want their make-up done for a special occasion. It will be tailored to special occasions such as; prom, festivals, grand national day etc.”



Define Explain the exact meaning of a word or phrase. Define the word ‘brush’.

A brush is an implement with a handle and a block of bristles, hair or wire, used especially for cleaning, applying a liquid or powder to a surface, or arranging the hair.

Define ‘Marketing’.

“Marketing is the action of promoting and selling products or services, including market research and advertising.”

Describe Write about the subject giving detailed information, including relevant characteristics, qualities or events.

Describe a brush.

A brush has a handle and a head of bristles. The length of the handle, size and type of head will vary according to the purpose of the brush.

There are many different styles and uses for a brush.

Describe the effect that your chosen ingredient has on the hair.

“….citric acid is used to give your hair a healthy touch by making the cuticles lay flatter so it reflects the light better. The effects of this is that it reduces the loss of colour in your hair whilst giving your hair a smooth, soft glow and as it’s slightly acid (pH 5.5) it can help to stabilise the hair’s natural state.”

Evaluate Make a qualitative judgement or a conclusion about something, weighing up pros and cons and taking into account factors such as knowledge, evidence and reflective experience.

Evaluate the brush that you have chosen.

The long-handled wooden-brush that I have chosen to buy to use in the garden has a number of advantages over the plastic brush-head with the thin, metal handle.

The wooden-brush is hardwearing and, due to the way it is constructed, I will be able to repair it or buy replacement parts. It has a thick wooden-handle that is strong enough not to break if I was to tread on it accidentally. If I look after the brush, it could last me a lifetime.

The main weakness is the weight of the brush. It would mean that it would take more energy when using it to brush up the leaves in my garden. I will get achy muscles, so it could take me longer to complete the task. I would also need to wear gloves to avoid hurting my hands.

Evaluate the different sources that you have used.

“….The strength of the internet was the choice available to me. I tried, where possible, not to look at more than the three websites that I have listed as they pretty much provided me with everything I needed. It was a great comparison to what I had found in the magazines and they were saying similar things on the internet about this year’s trends for festival hair, fashion and nails. The only thing that did differ was how much more depth and information the internet would list on one page because it is not limited on space. This was very useful because even though I had got a lot from the magazines the internet gave me even more. The weakness was avoided because I didn’t give into temptation of looking at loads of websites….”




Explain Make a subject clear to someone by adding more detail and relevant facts and by accounting for the purposes or reasons.

Explain some different types of brushes and why you have settled on your chosen brush.

Brushes can be made in many different styles and use a variety of materials. The design and material choice are reflected in the cost of the brush. Materials can be synthetic or natural. The choice of the material would affect the durability and lifespan of the brush.

I have chosen a wooden pastry brush; the handle is made from olive wood and it has natural brush fibres. I chose it because I felt that the quality of the brush was most important. I know that this brush is more expensive and that I will need to be careful when washing it. However, despite these factors, I think that it is worth it.

Explain how factors have been unhelpful and/or provided new opportunities for a hair and beauty business.

“….The interests and hobbies of the clients will affect the marketing activities used for hair & beauty businesses, for example individuals who swim a lot would benefit from promotions on products such as an anti-chlorine shampoo or a conditioning treatment to nourish the hair. If the salon/spa is selling a product or service that is considered more of a ‘want’ than a ‘need’ it would be important to focus on the social factor so clients can see the value of this product/service….”

Identify Establish who or what something or someone is.

Identify the object on the table.

The object on the table, with a handle and bristles, is a brush.

Identify two ideas for a new or improved product or service from the hair or beauty industry.

“My first new and improved product is a colour changing lipstick.

My second new and improved product is a glow in the dark hair gel.”




Justify Give a reasoned explanation for actions or decisions made.

Justify your choice of brush.

I have chosen to use a purple-coloured silicone brush, instead of a wooden-handled natural fibre brush, to apply egg-wash to pastry.

I prefer the bright colour of the silicone brush. It has a really modern feel to it. I like to use kitchen gadgets that are easy to look after and the silicone brush is dishwasher safe.

The brown wooden-brush does not match the colour theme for my kitchen. The wooden-brush cannot go in the dishwasher and I do not like spending time washing up by hand.

Justify how your presentation meets the client needs and your target market for your chosen event.

“I decided to use a mood board with most of the information on it so it will interest and engage the target audience I chose. This is because they will be able to clearly see everything in one organised place….

On my mood board, I tried to use different textures to make it stand out and more appealing to the eye. For example, for the face of make-up I stuck on false eyelashes on the piece of paper to make the eyelashes noticeable. Therefore, the bride who will see the make-up look will hopefully be more attracted and enticed as this look is popular. Also, I stuck pictures of the make-up products I would use around the template to show how the make-up look will be created…To emphasise the dress, I made the dress 3D so it didn’t look flat. In order to create volume, I used tissue paper and glitter on the top half to match the sparkly theme, which is girly, in order to attract the bride. I think this will also encourage the target market I want to engage as everything is colour coordinated with a trendy theme…

…I have met the clients’ needs and requirements by choosing make-up brands that will be suitable for the age group I chose. For example, HD brows are very popular and in trend at the moment and suit the target market so this meets the clients’ needs and requirements…”



Label Give the correct name to identify a person, item or activity.

Label the main parts of the brush. Label the diagrams to outline the different components of the hair and skin structure.

List Make a list of words, brief sentences, comments or ideas that focus on the given subject.

List 3 key factors to consider when selecting a brush.

• Handle

• Shape of head

• Bristles

List the specific ingredients found within each product.

“….Long lasting pressed powder/Beauty product:

Ingredients: Talc, Mica, Magnesium Stearate, Polyethylene, Petrolatum, Phenyl Trimethicone, Dimethicone, Polybutene, Isostearyl Neopentanoate, Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate.

How to make makeup box/Beauty product:

Ingredients: Talc, Mica, Magnesium Stearate, Isopropyl Isostearate, Polyisobutene, Bis-Diglyceryl Polyacyladipate-2, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Ethylhexyl Palmitate, Dimethicone, Methylparaben….”

Handle

Bristles




Make recommendations

Suggest something or someone suitable for a particular purpose or job.

Or

Give advice on the best thing to do.

Make recommendations as to how the brush could be improved.

The brush could be improved by adding a lightweight handle with a soft-rubber grip.

A lightweight handle will make the brush easier and less heavy to hold. The soft-rubber grip will help to prevent the brush from slipping out of your hand when drying your hair.

Make recommendations on how the specific hair and/or beauty business could improve their marketing techniques.• “There should be a wider variety of

treatments available as special offers and at a more competitive price

• Social Media should be used to promote their products and services, management should give this responsibility to all therapist to upload images of services or treatments they have carried out with testimonials from their customers”

Outline Give an overview or general description of the main characteristics or key points of something but not the detail.

Outline a brush and its uses.

A brush is a tool; it has a handle and a block of bristles. It would be used to apply a liquid or a powder to a surface or for arranging hair.

Outline the effect that the beauty product has on the skin.“This beauty product controls the appearance of natural oils on the face and makes the appearance of pores minimal for at least 5 hours so you might need to touch it up every now and then. It leaves your skin feeling smooth and looking matte.”

Plan Design or make a plan of something. Plan research into how a business markets their products and services.



Present Produce an exposition or summary to demonstrate knowledge to an audience.

For example, at the end of a project, to show what has been done and to conclude findings and/or learning.

Present your research of brushes in an informative and well-structured way.

I have tested four different brushes for applying make-up. The factors that led me to choose these brushes were price, type of bristles, material and length of handle.

The cheapest brush had a lightweight plastic handle. The handle cracked in my bag during the first week that I took it to college every day.

The wooden-handled brushes were really solid but did not appear to be any heavier.

The softer, natural fibred brushes were easy to use. The eye shadow did not clog the brush and I could apply it to the eye lid smoothly.

The brush with the artificial fibre bristles got squashed in my make-up bag and I could not use it anymore as it was bent and I could not reshape it. This brush is poor value for money as I had to throw it away after one use.

The brushes had either a long handle or a short handle. The short-handled brushes were better when applying eye shadow as you had more control over the direction of the brush head. The longer-handled brushes were better for applying blusher as they allowed me to have a bigger sweep of the brush when putting it on.

The brush that I found to be the most useful and offer the best value for money was the short wooden-handled brush. It was mid-priced and I was able to use it to apply a number of different products.

Present your information in an innovative, visually attractive and well-balanced way.



Review Look back over the process (research, information, methods, outcomes, conclusions, etc.) relating to the brief.

Giving balanced consideration, decide what has been effective and what has not.

Review your study of different brushes and briefly state your conclusions.

I researched the different types of brushes for applying colour to hair that are available to purchase from my local wholesaler. I was able to select the best one for me using a number of different factors, which I will discuss in turn; there were pros and cons to each type of brush.

The ‘ColourBox’ brushes with 1-inch, flexible bristles were the best at applying colour to the roots and preventing overlap.

The ‘ColourBox’ brushes were mid-priced and were available to purchase both individually and in multipacks. This meant that I saved 20% by not buying them separately.

The wholesaler has a number of brushes for sale that have coloured handles. These are more expensive than the standard black handled brushes. From my research, I have found that the benefit of this would be to colour match the brushes to the salon or to identify different people or tasks. I chose not to purchase the red-handled brushes that would match the colour of my towels in my salon.

I did not feel that I would benefit from the additional cost and that, as I have a fixed budget to equip my salon, it would not be an effective use of money.

Review your research project commenting on improvements you could make as well as things that went well.

“My conclusion is that, from the research I’ve done and the outcome from my interview, I can see that the 1980’s have had a big influence on present day but things have changed a little bit. I also found that the advantages and disadvantages depended on age range.

My primary research was me interviewing my mum. This extended my knowledge further. The information I gathered from conducting my interview on what the hairstyles were like then in comparison to today’s style. Most of my information was from different websites on the internet and this is the secondary research.

To make sure my information was valid I searched the websites repeatedly. I got most of my information from a professional website. In my opinion, I feel like getting primary research would help people more because you know it’s definitely true but the internet gives more options to choose from.

I am pleased with the information and I feel that I have met the expected outcome. I have gathered lots of valid information from reputable websites and it has extended my knowledge. I think I could’ve improved it by interviewing more people and doing a survey with open questions to collect even more information.”




Select Carefully choose as being the most suitable for a task or purpose.

Select the most suitable hairbrush for straightening long hair whilst blow-drying.

Select a product or service of your choice to promote.

“I have decided to promote a hairdressing service because this is the industry I want to work in next year.”

State Give the main points clearly in sentences. Express in precise terms.

State the characteristics of a brush.

A brush is comprised of a handle and a head of bristles.

State why marketing is important.

“Marketing is important as it has a positive effect on the hair and beauty businesses because it can generate more money and a good reputation.”

Summarise Sum up and put things into your own words; create a precis of the information discussed.

Summarise your research on brushes.

My research revealed that there are many types of brushes which can be used for hundreds of different jobs. They generally consist of bristles and a handle of some kind. They were first used as early as 250,000 years ago, to apply pigment to cave paintings. Today, a brush is still one of the most basic and versatile tools in use.

Paddle brush



Use appropriate research methods

Consider whether you should be using primary or secondary, qualitative or quantitative evidence – or maybe a combination. Think about which type of research will best-suit your brief.

Produce a research proposal including the research methods you are going to use.

“The research methods I will use are secondary and qualitative. I will use secondary to find out information from the internet as it is easily accessed as it already exists from other people’s findings.

I think this is one of the best ways because the vampire facial is not very known and mainly done on people with quite a bit of money. I will also use qualitative with secondary, looking at blogs people have written about vampire facials, and then also contact salons to get information directly from them.”

Use a range of appropriate sources

To ensure sources are appropriate, consider the following three points:

• Relevance: does the information address the brief, helping to respond to the task set?

• Quality: is the information communicated in a way that meets the needs of the user? Is the information accurate and easy to understand?

• Reliability: is your information from a trusted and recommended source? For example, Wikipedia can be edited by anyone at any time. Is the source one-sided or biased in any way? This will not make it useless but this factor should be considered.

Outline the relevance, quality and reliability of the sources used.

“The quality of the information I gathered was what made it relevant to my chosen idea. I made sure that I was linking my work to my expected outcome at all times and I tried to only use good quality sources that had suitable information.

I have been looking at a sweet 16th; it was all related to hair and beauty and I used several sources from google and made sure that it was relevant and only took from it exactly what I needed. I was able to produce a range of good quality informative slides that I could then transfer to my final presentation.

The quality of my work is high and relates to the theme of my assignment…..”

Documents

Examinations Resource for Teachers and Assessors